Friday, October 30, 2009

Design Recessed Lighting For A Room

Recessed lighting should be placed several feet from a chandelier.


High-quality homes are constructed with recessed lighting nowadays. The beauty of this type of lighting is that it functions as track lighting, in a sense, but it's less obtrusive in a room's design. Recessed lighting works well in the kitchen area to focus light on a sink or stove area. It also works well in a long hallway, bedroom or bath area. Even the most formal living room with an elegant light fixtures looks inviting with recessed lighting installed in certain ceiling areas.


Instructions


1. Obtain home design books and magazines to view recessed lighting in upscale homes. Learn where this type of lighting looks best, and how it is intended to function. Sketch the rooms of your own home to duplicate some of these ideas. Consider placing three of four recessed lights above a sink area, for example. Imagine these light units around the perimeter of a large family room, also.


2. Design lighting for artistic appeal and functionality. Keep in mind that recessed lighting should target lighting to areas that windows or main light fixtures cannot. Use them to create focused lighting for a desk area, whilrlpool tub in the bathroom, or over a vanity cabinet, for example. Design a walk-in closet to have four to six recessed lights to assist in finding clothes easier.


3. Select styles of recessed lighting from catalogs. Plan to install lights with housing that is unobtrusive. Select recessed lights that are large enough in diameter, but not overly large. Create the lights to not stand out in any way. Choose housing for the lights that will blend with the room's architecture, cabinets or appliances. Buy very neutral colors, such as white or light bronze, for example that will blend in with ceiling colors.


4. Measure all rooms to receive recessed light. Transfer these measurments to graph paper. Keep spacing between recessed lights uniform. Place them in groups of four spaced apart 30 inches, for example. Take into account that ceiling rafters are usually installed on 16-inch centers, so keep this in mind before working out a diagram. Lights will need to be attached to rafters for support. Plan the lights to be installed from the attic side by cutting round spaces in the drywall, if drywall is already in place.


5. Install recessed lighting away from any large, elegant chandelier. Move the recessed lights to the perimeter of the living room or hallway instead. Place the lights about 18 inches inward from the side walls, since they won't look right if positioned too close to a wall. Visit homes similar to yours, if possible, before deciding on actual spacing. Figure out what works in reality before cutting drywall to install the lights.

Tags: recessed lights, recessed lighting, blend with, four recessed, four recessed lights, install lights, light fixtures